Took my car to an independent garage with a good reputation for MOT last week. Whilst at the garage, the mechanic noticed the car kept cutting out, something which I had not noticed before, although I have noticed it gets a bit jerky sometimes and had mentioned this on booking it in. Anyhow, mechanic cleans out the throttle body and changes the fuel filter amongst other non related things that needed doing. However, this didn't resolve the issue of car cutting out, so mechanic tells me I need to have an ECU software update done. Phoned vauxhall and am told this update will cost me £28.63 inc VAT. I thought.that's very reasonable, so took person's name who told me that price, wrote it down, repeated it to her to confirm it was £28.63 including VAT and arranged to take car down that afternoon.

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On arriving at Vauxhall for the update, I discovered that the lady I spoke to earlier has gone home sick, and then I am told that it is £70+ VAT for the update. Well, I wasn't happy about that at all!! I told the service receptionist what I was told on the phone, and she said 'I don't believe my colleague would say it was that price when it isn't, I just don't believe you.' I eventually managed to get it done for the price I was originally told, but it didn't resolve the problem and now I have to take the car back on Monday to have a diagnostics test. I have managed to reduce the price of the diagnostics test to £60 inc VAT after complaining to the manager of that particular branch of Vauxhall at how I was virtually called a liar by the receptionist, and how after speaking to the receptionist, the master technician comes out and tells me that he will do it for the reduced price, but I need a full diagnostics test which will cost £90+VAT, as well as the ECU update, so I went in thinking I was going to spend £28.63 and was quickly being told I would need to spend £192 and there was still no guarantee of diagnosing the problem!!

So now they are telling me that the diagnostic test may not even diagnose the problem, and no one seems to have any idea why my car has begun to just cut out and I am left hoping it is a minor fault that can be rectified relatively cheaply and quickly. So AIBU to be treated like that? Have some woman raise her eyebrows and disbelieve what I am saying? AIBU to not want to go back next week for diagnostics, even though I will go because I need my car to be diagnosed and fixed? I have already had it on the diagnostics machine at the little garage, and it is the mechanic at my local garage who has advised it goes on the Vauxhall diagnostics machine. My mechanic says their machine will pick up faults that his machine can't pick up because their machine is specifically for Vauxhalls.

Earlybird, I was quoted £28.63 over the phone. I specifically asked her to repeat the quote, and she did. I wrote it down, then when I arrived at the garage a few hours later, I am told it is almost 4 times the price, and that's what they are going to charge me. I couldn't get the software update done anywhere else.

I was not happy to be misinformed of the price and then to be told that it was not believeable that I was quoted that price in the first place. I don't want to go to another dealer because I don't want to pay more than I have to.

Is there something wrong with trying to get the best price? Google Vauxhall Diagnostics and you might find someone who can come to you to do it. This does not have to be done by a main dealer, just a garage or business that uses (and pays for) up to date diagnostics equipment. Main dealers will rip you off because they like drivers to think that they are the only people with the equipment and specialist knowledge to fix their cars properly.

Which is not true: I have saved literally thousands of pounds over the years by not using them, and, yes, some of those savings have been on jobs that required diagnostics. Ford mostly (or Fraud as the dealership is known in this house), but Vauxhall too (some years ago admittedly). Our Vauxhall had a similar story and the local dealer was more interested in fixing parts that were fine, and ultimately when we broke down it was the AA breakdown guy who checked the car, ran diagnostics and said 'look don't go back to the garage, change your coil pack and spark plugs and it should be fine'. Funnily enough that's what we done - and it was fine. After that OH bought a diagnostics kit thing from Halfords that you plug into your car and it gives you a fault code should your engine management light come on etc, and it's saved us an absolute FORTUNE>Pic Basic Examples. I think it's shocking how garages can get away with charging £40/£60 or more to plug in this little fault code reader, to then charge you more on top for the repair.